Chapter 1: Late-Night Coder’s Dream

It was late at night, a time when one would typically drift into dreamland.

The light from the desk lamp cast a soft glow, filling the small room with the sound of keyboard clicks. The sporadic tapping echoed through the night, reminiscent of the plinking of beads on a jade plate in the classic poem ‘The Ballad of the Pipe.’

On the computer desk sat a coffee cup, steam rising invitingly, alongside a collection of figurines beloved by seasoned otaku. Leaf Su arranged them this way because it gave him the comforting illusion of his paper wife accompanying him during his late-night work sessions. Well, it was just a self-deception.

Today, work at the company was overwhelming. The testing group had unearthed countless bugs, forcing Leaf Su to stay late. He had no idea which new hire had created such a mess, but now it was his problem to fix. Still, with triple overtime pay, he gritted his teeth and endured it all for the sake of expanding his collection of paper wives.

In this world, to be happy, one either pays with money or with their life. Isn’t that common knowledge?

With this belief, he embarked on days and nights of relentless debugging, fixing the mysterious bugs that kept popping up. He had to admit, the testing group was quite skilled; they had found so many issues. Now, he just needed to test further and fix them based on their reports.

However, working alone was proving to be too much. Even now, he had only completed about half of the tasks. The remaining bugs were mostly data anomalies in the database, like issues with monster skill formulas or item effect overflows.

If he kept this up, he might finish the project in another two days. Then, he would have a substantial sum of money to buy more figurines! Hehe, at the thought of this, Leaf Su’s tired eyes lit up. For his dreams, he would gladly sacrifice his life!

Oh, what’s this? Another bug in a monster’s skill formula. Which inexperienced new hire wrote this code? If I were their supervisor, I’d make them apologize on their knees!

As he was about to make the changes, Leaf Su felt an unfamiliar weakness in his limbs. It was as if he had lost all sensation, and his thoughts began to fog over. Perhaps he was just too exhausted from his relentless work. He quickly reached for his coffee, but his grip was weak. Just as he managed to hold the cup, he lost all strength, and his body went limp. His gaze became distant.

Could he really be this tired?

Leaf Su’s consciousness grew hazy. Looking at the code on the screen, he felt a pang of regret, knowing he would have to finish this in the morning. Tonight’s ‘life-sacrificing coding’ session would have to end here. He would get a good night’s sleep and continue fixing bugs tomorrow. Missing just one night shouldn’t be a problem…

Leaf Su’s eyes glazed over, his thoughts slowed, and his body collapsed onto the desk, spilling the hot coffee. The rich brown liquid, hot enough to scald, soaked his clothes, but he showed no reaction.

A few days later, the staff found him at the address he had registered, but all they found was a lifeless body slumped over the desk. The computer, still plugged in, remained on the bug-fixing screen.

‘He was working until the very end, a true model employee,’ the department head commented sarcastically, ‘but I don’t endorse such dedication.’

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After what felt like an eternity, his foggy mind began to stir. Exhaustion, weakness, regret—the emotions swirled within him. It felt like he had just woken from a deep, restful sleep, something he hadn’t experienced since starting his job. Now, he longed for those carefree days of his student life, a paradise lost.

And there was this strange, swaying sensation, like swinging on a swing, so relaxing. His body felt as if it were being gently rocked, as if he were leaning against someone’s back, being carried.

What a blissful dream! He nestled his head against the softness, enjoying the sensation. It was too real to be a dream!

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. All around was darkness, but in the moonlight, he could see a person’s back, and he realized he was being carried.

What’s going on? Wasn’t I working late at home? Am I hallucinating from overwork?

Confused, Leaf Su closed and opened his eyes, but the scene remained the same. He was indeed behind someone, and in the night, he could make out a field of flowers and the sweet scent that filled the air. Leaf Su felt incredibly weak, almost drugged, as if in a movie.

This… this must be a kidnapping!!! Oh no!!!

But why would a kidnapper target a broke otaku like me? And how could they carry a man my size, close to 130 pounds, through the streets without attracting attention? This can’t be real! I must be dreaming!

Leaf Su tried to close and open his eyes again, but a soft, melodic voice interrupted him. It was a woman, around twenty, about 168 cm tall, and incredibly beautiful!

‘You’re awake? Then walk on your own, you’ve worn me out,’ she said with a laugh, her voice soothing and comforting.

Leaf Su, in his otaku wisdom, instantly assessed her. Well, not really, as he had just been set down, and the woman, half-squatting, patted his head, revealing her stats to him.

But instead of being thrilled by the beautiful woman before him, Leaf Su was shocked. He looked down at his own hands—they were soft, smooth, and baby-like, not the calloused hands of a twenty-something programmer. He touched his legs, and to his surprise, they felt smooth and hairless, like those of a young boy. He had no idea why he knew what a young boy’s legs felt like; he just guessed.

Seeing Leaf Su’s silence, the woman patted his head again. ‘Come on, let’s get you to the guild. What were you doing all alone in the forest, and how did you end up sleeping there? Where are your parents?’ Her gentle voice had a calming effect, making Leaf Su feel at ease.

‘Um, my parents… they’re not here,’ he replied softly, following the woman as she led the way. He didn’t understand what she was talking about, but he had his suspicions. Earlier, he had glimpsed her outfit—a knight’s armor reminiscent of European fantasy, with metal plating on her legs and shoulders that glinted in the moonlight. Amazing, he thought, his otaku imagination running wild. As a player, he was usually terrible at character creation, but in this dream, even a random NPC looked stunning. He was a genius!

But his doubts about the dream only lasted about ten minutes. Soon, he realized this couldn’t be a dream.

A sudden howl pierced the night, close by. And then, more howls followed, echoing through the darkness. Anyone who had watched ‘Animal Planet’ would know this was a wolf pack, ready to encircle their prey on the alpha’s command.

Oh no!!!

This wasn’t the peaceful night walk with a beautiful woman he had imagined. In the dark, surrounded by wolf howls, Leaf Su’s legs trembled with fear. As he begged for this to be a dream, the howls grew louder, and a massive wolf, about three meters long, leaped from the flower field, jaws wide, aiming for Leaf Su’s head.

‘Ah!!!’ he screamed, his voice breaking with terror. This was it; he was going to die. This had to be a dream, right? He didn’t want to believe he had just crossed over and was about to die! But then, a sharp sound cut through the air, and he felt no impact. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

What he saw was the beautiful woman sheathing her sword, her eyes cold and fierce, exuding an aura of a saintly warrior. Blood sprayed across the ground, and around them lay the bodies of more than ten wolves, their heads severed from their bodies.

This was incredible!

‘Are you okay? Those were just a few small wolves. Stay close to me,’ she said, her voice returning to its gentle tone, almost making Leaf Su lose his composure. Your ‘small wolves’ are three meters long? he wanted to ask, but seeing the bloody scene, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

‘I’m… I’m fine…’ he started to say, but then a frame appeared before his eyes, like a game interface.

【Team Kill: Wild Wolf Pack – Exp Gained: 217 – Leaf Su [Beginner] lv1 → lv2】

【Hidden Talent Unlocked: [GM] – Recorded in Job List, Can Be Changed Anytime】

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To be continued…

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